Abstract

Liver fluke disease is a chronic parasitic inflammatory disease of the bile ducts which is highly prominent in the tropical regions. Infection occurs through ingestion of fluke-infested freshwater raw fish. Opisthorchis viverrini is the biggest causative organism for this disease. Adult flukes get into the body of humans and settle in the small intrahepatic bile ducts, and then they live there for few decades. The long-lived flukes cause long-lasting chronic inflammation of the bile ducts, and this produces epithelial hyperplasia, periductal fibrosis and bile duct dilatation. Major complications of the disease also include pancreatitis, bile duct obstruction etc. The majority of patients are asymptomatic, but the patients with heavy infection suffer from lassitude and nonspecific abdominal complaints. Approximately 35 million people are infected with liver flukes throughout the world and the exceptionally high incidence of cholangiocarcinoma in some endemic areas is closely related with a high prevalence of liver fluke infection. Considering the appulse of this food-borne malady on accessible bloom and the astringent accessible analytic consequences, alarmist accident infection should not be abandoned or neglected. This review acts as a complete picture in elucidating the information regarding the parasite and disease condition thereby supporting the researchers worldwide.

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